


to the end of the world to the end of time

by Totallynotawitch



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Shit, bruh I forgot how to tag fics, it's not a big difference, just like, what if they were looking for patroclus instead of achilles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29702991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totallynotawitch/pseuds/Totallynotawitch
Summary: Achilles and Patroclus are having a gay old time on the island on Scyros until a mysterious visitor shows up. Will everything go to hell or will it be okay? Spoiler alert: both happen.
Relationships: Achilles/Patroclus (Song of Achilles), Achilles/Patroclus of Opus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), patroclus & lycomedes, patroclus & odysseus
Kudos: 20





	to the end of the world to the end of time

“What’s your name?” Odysseus and I were standing just outside my bedroom. The bedroom door was shut tight, hopefully blocking out our conversation from Achilles. He was sleeping soundly and I didn’t want to disturb him. 

I tried to sound as casual as he. “Chironides.” My voice cracked. Silently I cursed myself, now he would know I’m lying. 

Prince Odysseus narrowed his eyes at me. Cunningly, he looked me up and down. I stood firm in front of him, trying to be as confident as possible. I wondered if Achilles would notice I’m not in bed with him. I hoped he wouldn’t, I didn’t want Odysseus to be even more suspicious than he already was. 

“I think I’ve seen you before.” 

I swallowed. “Impossible, I don’t think we’ve ever met before.” My voice did not crack.

“Hmm, I assume I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Yes.” I was not usually this curt, but I did not want to spend more time with this man than necessary. With that Odysseus left and I returned to bed with Achilles. He was still sound asleep. How lucky. I burrowed under the covers and was pulled into his embrace. As the hours slipped by I dwelled on what Prince Odysseus’s visit meant for the both of us. 

***

The dinner bell rang and I made my way down to the great hall. Prince Odysseus, Lycomedes, and another man were already at the table. They seem to be talking already. I hastened my pace to hear what they were talking about, hopeful it wasn’t about me. 

“She asked me what wedding present I would make to my bride. A wedding bed, I said, rather gallantly, of finest holm-oak.” Ah, it was his engagement story.

I took my place as quietly as possible, praying to the Gods that they didn’t hear me. “Ah Patroclus, son of Menoitius, nice of you to join us.” All the color drained from my face. Lycomedes looked at me in alarm. Odysseus's face was calm devoid of emotion, but I thought I could see his eyebrow twitch in a challenge. I stayed silent. 

“I knew you looked familiar, took me a while to put a name to a face since the last time I saw you I was nine. You’ve grown up quite well, Menotiades.” 

“It’s Chironides, Menoetius exiled me.” I finally said, my voice barely steady.

“No matter, you pledged your life to Helen on her betrothal day. You are joining us in war.” The other man said. His eyes were sharp and hard and focused on me. I gaped.  _ War? _ Thankfully Lycomedes intervened. 

“Now is not the time for such talk. Let us finish dinner, maybe let my daughter perform. There’s also the manner of breaking the news to Patroclus’s wife.” I sent Lycomedes a grateful smile as I died inside imagining trying to explain this to Achilles. Odysseus and his friend looked at me interestingly, but before they could ask who my wife was, dinner arrived. 

I barely touched my food. 

Upon Diomedes’s, that was Odysseus’s friend’s name, request, Lycomedes brought out his daughter and their troupe of dancers. I watched Achilles uneasily. All my brain could think of was his face after I tell him. I hate seeing him sad or angry. He would be angry hearing the news of my unplanned departure. 

“Phyrra, come over here, these men have a proposal for your husband that concerns you,” Lycomedes said diplomatically. The other dancers were dismissed and Achilles took a seat beside me. I smiled weakly at him, but couldn’t look him in the eye. Usually, his chest puffs out at me being called his husband, no such instance happened this time. 

Odysseus stared at him hard like he recognized him too. More fear spiraled into my stomach quelling my already meager appetite. Achilles took my hand, squeezed it, and didn’t let go. I was more grateful for it than he could know. 

“My name is Prince Odysseus of Ithaca and this is my friend King Diomedes of Argos. As we were telling your husband, he swore an oath to protect Helen, wife of Menelaus. We are now, calling upon that oath to get Helen back from the ugly hands of Troy. And before you refuse Chironides, exile doesn’t mean much to a blood oath. You are still expected to join us in war. It wouldn’t be wise, in my opinion, to refuse.”

Achilles was seething with rage beside me. Any other time I would try to calm him down, but I was too focused on Odysseus’s words. He had a point, I did sign a blood oath to protect Helen from any suitor who tried to take her away from her husband. I knew how… unfortunate it would be to go against the Gods. I know I should join Odysseus, but then I feel Achilles’s hand in mine, and everything becomes so much harder. 

Odysseus and Diomedes stared at us, Odysseus calmly at me, and Diomedes, warily at Achilles. Serves him right, bursting into Scyros and ruining our lives. Maybe I shouldn’t, for once, try and calm my Achilles’s anger. 

“Well?” Odysseus prompted. 

I take a deep breath, look sadly at my Achilles, and nod. “Yes, Prince Odysseus, I will join your army.” Achilles’s eyes filled with horror, anger, sadness, and love, somehow love was still in his heart. Diomedes nodded sadly as Odysseus smiled faintly. He looked smug like he won a battle against each other. With the force Achilles was holding my hand, he probably won against him. 

“Patroclus.” Achilles pleaded quietly. I squeezed his hand, but I couldn’t look at him. 

“I’m joining you.” Achilles said defiantly. I didn’t know whether to smile or cry. I think I’m doing both. 

“Women don’t usually join the army unless you have something you want to tell us Pyrrha?”

Tension reigned in the dining hall. Finally, I looked at Achilles, wondering what he was going to do. I knew what I wanted him to do, and what his mother wanted him to do. It was a tug of war of Achilles’s loyalty. Who would the young demigod follow?

“I am Achilles, demigod son of Thetis, Prince of Phthia. If Patroclus is going off to war, then I’m going with him.” 

Odysseus’s faint smug smile turned into a big gloating grin. He won. As upsetting as it was that he was disobeying his mom and putting himself in danger, I couldn’t be more glad that he wasn’t going to leave me.

“Wonderful, I’m glad everything is settled. If you’ll excuse me, it’s getting late, I think I’m heading off to bed. Tomorrow, we head off.” He says the last part to Achilles and I. Diomedes nods to Lycomedes before getting up as well and heading off to bed.

Lycomedes stared concerningly at Patroclus. “Are you okay, Patroclus?” 

I didn’t know how to answer him. I thought that when Achilles was kidnapped to Scyros was the worst thing to happen to me, now I’d have to reconsider. I turned to look at Achilles again. His pretty golden hair was tousled, and his chest was heaving. He looked truly distressed and incredibly angry. With my free hand, I pressed it against his cheek. He leaned into the touch, fleetingly soothed.

“I’m not sure Lycomedes, I’m getting tired, I think- we will be going to bed now.”

“Of course, have a nice night.” I nodded to Lycomedes and led Achilles up to bed. 

***

The lamp was unlit but there was a soft fire lighting the room. The glow of the moon added extra ambiance. I changed out of my simple tunic before entering our bed. Achilles was loath to let go of my hand, but he needed to change as well. I watched him as he undressed and got ready for bed. Well, watched was a reach. I sat on the bed and stared at a wall as he changed in the same room as I. When he was done he sat on my lap and took my face in his hands. I looked up at him with glassy eyes, feeling so much that I feel nothing at all. 

Carefully he placed a kiss on my hairline, my forehead, the tip of my nose, my eyelids, my cheeks. I surrendered entirely to his kisses. At last, he kissed my lips. “Why did you join me? You’re safe here, your mother wants you here. Wh-” I ran out of words to explain my dread and confusion, but he picked up the conversation. 

“There is no me without you, Patroclus. Wherever you go I will go, and if that place is right onto the battlefield then so be it. I can’t be without you anymore Patroclus. When I was alone here it was like I couldn’t breathe, like a part of me was missing. I felt that and I hated feeling that and I never want to feel that again. I know it’s dangerous but at least I’ll be with you.”

Overcome with tears, I rested my forehead on his chest. He quietly played with my hair and let me cry it out. Going to war terrified me, but knowing I had Achilles by my side calmed me down somewhat. Eventually, tears petered off into snores and Achilles held me close as I slept. It was tighter than his usual grip, more evidence to my theory that he didn’t want me to go off to war any more than I did. It was a topic to bring up another day though, today we were together, and that was enough.


End file.
